Politics or Payback?

Supporters of the move insist the penalties are a matter of accountability, not revenge. “If you don’t show up to work, you don’t get paid,” one Republican leader said bluntly. To them, the fines and pay freeze are simply consequences of abandoning their duties.

But critics see it differently. They argue that the measures go beyond discipline — that this is political payback, designed to punish dissent and intimidate opposition. The optics are unmistakable: a government divided not just by policy, but by principle.

As the standoff drags on, one thing is certain — the longer lawmakers stay away, the deeper the divide becomes. What started as a protest has turned into a showdown, with democracy itself caught in the middle.